Device for feeding salt to animals



(No Model.)

T. B. STEPHENS. DEVICE FOR FEEDING SALT T0 ANIMALS.

No. 485,142. Patented Oct. 25, 1892.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

THOMAS E. STEPHENS, OF SEDALIA, MISSOURI.

DEVICE FOR FEEDING SALT TO ANIMALS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 485,142, dated October 25, 1892.

Application filed October 2, 1891- Serial No. 407,498. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, THOMAS B. STEPHENS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Sedalia, in the county of Pettis and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Feeding Salt to Animals; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to salters for automatically feeding salt to cattle; and it consists, mainly, of an oblong truncated approximately-pyramidal-shaped salt-reservoir having all of its sides diverging from its top to its bottom edge, which construction feeds the salt automatically without the use of auxiliary means to abroad, open, oblong feeding-trough below its bottom edge, to which cattle have ready access on both sides of the salter; and it also consists in certain other novel constructions, combinations, and arrangements of parts, as will be hereinafter described and specifically claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective View of the salter, and Fig. 2 a transverse section of the same.

A in the drawings represents the salter, which is intended to be used in stock-yards or to be placed out in the field within reach of cattle, so that the necessity of frequently carrying salt to the cattle shall be avoided and the cattle supplied with salt at all times.

B is a salt-reservoir, and C a salt-feeding trough of any suitable size-say, for instance,

twelve to fifteen inches in width atits bottom.

The reservoir B is made oblong and approximates a truncated pyramid in form, having all of its sides diverging from its top to its bottom edge. The reservoir is open at top and bottom and provided at its top with a hinged cover D, which is secured or latched down upon the salt-reservoir in any suitable manner, as by a hook and eye. The cover is provided at its ends with downwardly-extending projections d d, which close the jointspaces between the upper edge of the saltreservoir and the cover and thereby exclude moisture and rain at these points, and also gives the cover a snug fit and prevents it from being moved endwise. By forming the four sides 0 c c c of the salt-reservoir divergent from the top to their bottom edges the salt will be fed by its gravity automatically into the laterally-extended feeding portions of the trough without the use of any auxiliary means, as there is not the least tendency of the salt binding compactly by. reason of humidity against the inner sides of the reservoir and preventing its downward passage.

The salt-feeding trough B consists of an oblong rectangular base portion (1', having upwardly-extendingsides and ends 6 e, which, with the bottom portion,form a broader saltsupport than the reservoir and aiford two feeding portions f f outside the same and of any suitable size for different kinds of stock. The ends 6 of the trough are extended upward a short distance above the sides on the same inclination with ends of the reservoir and form attaching means for the lower portion of the salt-reservoir. The upper edges of the ends of the trough may be beveled 01f, as shown, to give a finish to the salter and permit a more ready access to the feeding portions f of the salt-trough. The salt-reservoir is supported by its ends, which are extended down to the base portion (1, and by upright standards f, secured to the sides of the reservoir and resting with their lower ends upon the bottom of the trough. The trough is provided on its upper edge with strips of metal g, which protect it from injury by the cattle attempting to nibble or chew the same. The top may be provided with barbed wire, as a further protection to the trough. The trough is also provided with suitable openings or passages h to permit Water collecting in the trough to pass off. The salt-feeder may be secured to any suitable platform or support raised more or less from the ground to keep it as free from moisture as possible.

It will be observed that by making all four of the sides of the salt-receptacle divergent to the bottom edge from the top and having these sides form the exterior sides of the saltfeeding device proper a very perfect unobstructed automatic feeder of simple and cheap construction is produced and which sheds the rain on all four sides. It will also be observed that by having the ends of the trough correspond in slant to the ends of the reservoir the descent of the salt is insured.

With my invention the" s'uperincumbent mass of salt in the reservoir is relieved from all obstructions to its flowing down by gravity and the salt is caused thereby to spread out to a proper depth upon the feeding portions f f of the trough, which portions extend laterally outside of said reservoir and the salt is conveniently eaten therefrom byanimals.

What I claim as my invention is I The stock-Salter comprising a base-trough having downwardly-inclined end pieces and unobstructed from side to side and a truncated salt-reservoir supported firmly and immovably on standards, and having fixed sides and ends diverging from its top to its bottom flow in sufficient quantity to the edges,rsubstantially as described.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signaturein presence of two Witnesses.

, THOMAS E. STEPHENS. \Vitnesses:

J. ErRITOHEY, W. O. VANARSDALL. 

